


Friends Like These

by cordeliadelayne



Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Hurt Aragorn, Hurt/Comfort, aragorn being looked after, sick aragorn, stubborn aragorn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-27
Updated: 2016-04-27
Packaged: 2018-06-04 22:32:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6677950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cordeliadelayne/pseuds/cordeliadelayne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aragorn refuses to admit he needs looking after, until he has no choice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Friends Like These

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lilybaggins](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilybaggins/gifts).



> Written as a Christmas present for the lovely lilybaggins. 
> 
> Originally posted to Livejournal in 2012.

Aragorn had never asked for any of this. Never asked to lead men into battle, or to have to make decisions that would seal the fate of the world. That would seal the fate of a simple hobbit who was carrying an even heavier burden than his own. And more disturbingly he had discovered that he was, quite literally, born for this very moment.

It was a thought that would have kept him awake at night, if he had allowed himself the time to sleep. But there was simply too much to do. His own injuries he kept dismissing as unimportant, instead concentrating on those of his men, noble fighters each of them, no matter their species. He was proud of how well they had all come together, that even in their darkest moments, when all seemed irretrievably lost, they still battled for what was good and right.

Still, they had all sustained heavy losses, and the Elves who had brought with them extensive healing knowledge, were having trouble saving all the injured and ensuring the decent burial of the dead. Aragorn was gratified to note how humans were working together with the Elves to stem the gaps in each others knowledge, perhaps the time of the Elves was not completely over after all.

He tried to avoid Legolas and Gandalf as much as possible. Both of them had sought him out after the battle had ended, both of them looking to help him with his own injuries, with his own sense of guilt. But he wasn't ready for that. Right now he didn't want friends and he certainly didn't want to be looked after.

Unfortunately neither of them seemed to understand that being alone was the best thing that could happen to Aragorn right now. There was too much he had to do, too many thoughts cramming for space in his head. He had to appear stronger now than he ever had before. He was a leader and the burden of responsibility was a heavy one.

“You need rest,” Legolas told him, startling him. “You'd never normally let me sneak up on you like this.”

“I was perfectly aware you were there.”

“Liar,” Legolas said, softly. He placed a hand on Aragorn's shoulder, and Aragorn flinched at the touch. “You are injured.”

Aragorn moved away. “I will heal in time.”

“That is not a proper answer, my friend. You require rest and healing, just as your men do.”

“He's right, you realise, Aragorn,” Gandalf said, appearing in the doorway.

Aragorn sighed. If possible Gandalf had become even more infuriating now than he had been before.

“I'm perfectly fine!” Aragorn snapped, his temper taking him by surprise.

“No, you are not, Aragorn,” Legolas said. “Let us help you. We are your friends.”

Aragorn's entire body ached, there were cuts and bruises too numerous for him to catalogue, a sharp pain to his back from being thrown backwards and probably injuries that would not manifest themselves until days had passed. Yet for all of that Aragorn was reluctant to seek help, or to appear weak in front of his friends.

“I am fine,” he said again, trying to move out of the room. He found his way was blocked by Gandalf and so made a quick right turn and headed towards the only other door. The sudden change in direction made him feel slightly giddy, but he just passed it off to himself as nothing to worry about. He was absolutely fine and he had work to do, he couldn't allow himself to be distracted from that.

“When was the last time you ate?” Gandalf asked him.

He couldn't remember but he certainly wasn't going to mention that to the wizard. In fact, now he thought about it, he was feeling quite hungry.

“I am -”

“...fine, yes I heard you the first time,” Gandalf replied. Aragorn didn't need to be looking at him to recognise the expression on Gandalf's face – Aragorn wasn't sure there was a single person that Gandalf treated with due deference.

“Please, Aragorn -”

Aragorn spun on his heels again, determined to make them listen, to make them understand that there was nothing the matter with him that being left alone wouldn't cure. But instead the world started to dim, and the words he'd been so determined to let fly, were swallowed up by his descent into nothing.

* * * * *

When Aragorn woke up he was lying in a soft bed, so soft that he nearly allowed himself to sink once more back into oblivion. The only thing that stopped him was the certainty that Legolas and Gandalf must be near by.

“You should have listened to us,” Gandalf said, in between puffs on his pipe, “we told you you needed rest.”

Aragorn groaned, and only part of that was because of them. The rest was due to his injuries, which really did need some attention. Not, however, that he was about to admit that to his friends.

“Go back to sleep,” Legolas said, gently tucking the covers of the bed around Aragorn. Aragorn wanted to snap that he wasn't a princess and didn’t need such attentions – but it was actually rather nice to know that he could shut his eyes and drift off.

Still, he fought the feeling as long as he could. Until Gandalf made him drink something and he knew that he wouldn't be waking up for days.

“I know what you've done,” Aragorn murmured. But Gandalf's hand on his forehead was very soothing, not to mention helping to cool the fever he'd been ignoring for the past two days. And Legolas' well-intentioned fussing was also exactly what he needed; somehow the elf managed to make his bones no longer ache quite so furiously. Indeed, somehow both of them managed to make his burden feel less heavy.

Perhaps, just this once, he might listen to his friends after all.


End file.
